Separable connector



March 1, 1949. v, so N 2,462,914

SEPARABLE CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. ERAEST V. SO/Pf/VY A T TOR/KEY March 1, 1949. E. v. SORENY SEPARABLECONNECTOR I Filed Aug. 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ERNEST V.\SO/PENY A T TOHNE Y Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNIT!) STAT 2,462,914SEPARABLE CONNECTOR Application August 20, 1943, Serial No. 499,333

12 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a plug and socket assembly forconnecting electrical circuits, and to a method of making the same.

In a copending application Serial Number 498,- 452 filed August 13,1943, issued as Patent 2,436,- 832 on March 2, 1948, I disclose aconnector device comprising a socket containing a pair of irregularlyshaped coiled springs, these springs being interspersed so thatinsertion of a plug in the socket results in a plurality ofhigh-pressure points of contact being created between the springs andboth the plug and the socket wall.

Under certain conditions, however, the required apparatus for shapingand interspersing these coiled springs may not be available. To meetthese conditions the present disclosure proposes to retain the desirablefeatures of the above construction while eliminating the necessity foremploying coiled springs in the connector as sembly.

One object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a plug and socketassembly possessing a plurality of high-pressure points of contactbetween the conducting elements, thus reducing the tendency tooverheating while raising the current-carrying capacity of theconnector.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tubular insert for asocket, the insert being corrugated and then selectively out along thecorrugations to form a series of rough edges on the inner surfacethereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method of makingan insert for an electrical connector by corrugating a sheet ofconducting material, forming it into a hollow cylinder, and then cuttingslots at selected intervals in the surface thereof.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription of a preferred form of the invention and from the drawings,in which:

Fig. 1 is a partly diagrammatic perspective view of one form ofapparatus that may be employed in carrying out the method of the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of Fig. 1, showing thepositioning of the cutting disc in relation to the corrugated surface ofthe insert;

Fig. 3 is a view of Fig. 2, showing the surface configuration of theinsert after cutting;

Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of a socket containing aninsert made according to the method of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a plug designed for use with the socket of Fig.4;

Fig. 6 is a side view, partly in section, of a modification of Fig. 4showing another type of insert.

In carrying out the method of the present case, a sheet of conductivematerial such as beryllium copper is corrugated in any desired mannersuch as by stamping or rolling. The sheet is then cut to a predeterminedsize and formed into the hollow cylinder 8 of Fig. 1.

Into the surface of the hollow cylinder 8 are cut a plurality of slotsl0. These slots may be cut in any suitable manner such as by thecircular saws I2, the means for driving which are not shown since anyconventional power source may be utilized. Furthermore, although twosaws have been illustrated, any number may be employed, and they may beinterconnected if desired in any known manner.

These cuts in the hollow cylinder 8 are made at the apex of theinwardly-projecting surface portions, as best shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3illustrates the resulting configuration of one slot. The relative sizeof the slots to the corrugation has been exaggerated in the drawing toshow the details. Actually the cuts will be made as thin as ispracticable in order to retain the original internal diameter of thehollow cylinder 8.

If two adjacent coplanar cuts are made in each of theinwardly-projecting corrugations of the cylinder, and if each of thesetwo cuts covers an angle of approximately of the cylinder surface, thenthe appearance of the cylinder after cutting will be as shown in Fig. 4.In this figure the slots are illustrated as beginning at the openingbetween the edges of the rolled sheet, and as extending in eachdirection for a distance equal to approximately a third of thecircumference of the cylinder. The rear third of the cylinder (viewed asin Fig. 4) remains uncut.

The cutting operation may be performed, if desired, by stamping or otherknown means instead of sawing. In any event, each slot will have twosharp edges I 4 (Fig. 3) projecting inwardly from the inner surface ofthe hollow cylinder. It is not necesary to smooth over the edges E4 infact, the currentconducting effectiveness of the assembly depends ontheir being rough or jagged.

When the cutting operation has been completed, the cylinder 8 is placedin a conducting socket [6 of the type described in my aforementionedcopending application Serial Number 498,- 452, and the top lip of thesocket spun or peened over or any other suitable means used to hold thecylinder in place.

A plug l8, shown in Fig. 5, is designed to be received in the socket l6.Upon insertion of the plug, the latter, being oversized in diameter withrespect to the inner diameter of the hollow cylinder 8, will press suchcylinder outwardly. The smooth sides of plug l8, passing by the sharpinner edges [4 of the corrugated cylinder 8, will produce a scraping fitwith such edges. The combination of increased pressure'between theconducting elements added to the sharp abrasive fit of the plug andcylinder produces the results desired-namely, high current conductivityand low resistance.

In Fig. 6 is shown a hollow cylinder 8a similar to the cylinder 8 ofFig. 4, except that the spacing between th slots is altered. In thismodification each inwardly-projecting corrugation has cut thereinto oneslot of approximately 120. However the slots are disposed in spiralfashion along the axis of the cylinder so that no two successive slotslie one above the other. This staggered arrangement of the slots helpsto center the plug in the socket and to produce a contacting relationbetween the socket and plug over substantially the entire circumferenceof the latter.

It should be emphasized that the novel method herein described andclaimed is not limited to any particular form of apparatus. Manymachines are known in the art for cutting slots into cylindricalobjects, and it is contemplated that any suitable mechanism of that typewhich is capable of carrying out the method may be utilized.

While I have described above the principles of my invention inconnection with specific apparatus, and particular modificationsthereof, it

is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way ofexample and not as a limitation on the scope of my invention as setforth in the objects of my invention and the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of electrical contacts, the method which comprisescorrugating a sheet of conducting material so that the cross section ofthe corrugations includes apices, forming the corrugated sheet into ahollow cylinder so that Y the corrugations lie in planes perpendicularto the axis of the cylinder, and then cutting the cylinder from theexterior thereof at the apex of and parallel with a selected number ofthe inwardly-projecting corrugations whereby the cutting operationproduces sharp biting edges on said selected corrugations.

2. The method of making an electrical contact which comprises cutting anumber of parallel slots at the apex of selected corrugations of ahollow cylinder substantially perpendicular to the axis thereof, so asto reduce the internal diameter of the cylinder, the inwardly projectingcorrugations each having a relatively sharp apex so that sharp bitingedges result on the interior of said hollow corrugated cylinder fromsaid cutting operation.

3. The method of making an electrical contact which comprises forming aslit in the surface of a hollow corrugated cylinder the cross section ofsaid corrugations including apices along a line midway between any twoadjacent outwardlyprojecting corrugations, said surface being shaped toprovide sloping wall portions so that said slit produces sharp bitingedges on the interior of said hollow corrugated cylinder.

4. As an article of manufacture, a hollow corrugated cylinder ofconductive material having a plurality of parallel slots cut into thesurface thereof in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said cylinder,the slots being cut at the apex of the inwardly extending corrugationsso that the smallest internal diameter of the cylinder at suchcorrugations is increased.

5. An insert, for a plug and socket device of the type wherein a plug isreceived by a socket having a conducting insert of smaller internaldiameter than the plug, consisting of a corrugated tube, thecorrugations of which have, in cross section, angular wall portions withthe inner parts thereof removed so as to present a series of sharp edgesto the surface of the plug upon insertion of the latter in the socket.

6. In a connector, a cylindrical socket composed of conducting material,and a conducting insert received by said socket, said insert beingshaped in the form of a hollow cylinder having an inner ridged surface,a portion of said ridges being cut away to form sharp biting edges.

7. Connecting apparatus comprising a plug, a cylindrical socket composedof conducting material, and an insert for the socket, said insert beingin the form of a hollow cylinder having an inner ridged surface, theinternal diameter of which is smaller than the greatest transversedimension of such plug, a portion of said ridges being cut away to formsharp biting edges, whereby insertion of said plug in said socket willproduce a frictional engagement between the surface of said plug and thesharp edges of said insert, resulting in a compression of said insertoutwardly against the inner wall of said socket.

8. As an article of manufacture, a hollow cylinder of conductingmaterial having a plurality of annular ridges on the inner surfacethereof and perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, a selected numberof said ridges being cut away to form sharp biting edges on the interiorof said hollow cylinder.

9. The article of claim 8 in which each of said ridges is cut over anangle of approximately 240.

10. The article of claim 8 in which each of said ridges is cut over anangle of approximately the edge portions of adjoining ridges beingoffset with respect to one another so that the entire series of cutridge portions will present a generally spiral configuration along theaxis of the cylinder.

11. In the manufacture of electrical contacts, the method whichcomprises corrugating a sheet of conducting material to formcorrugations with substantially V-shaped cross-sections, forming thecorrugated sheet into a hollow cylinder so that the corrugations lie inplanes perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, and then removing aportion of the edge from a selected number of inwardly projectingcorrugations, said removal operation being carried out by piercing saidcorrugations from the exterior of said cylinder in planes substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said cylinder whereby sharp biting edgesresult on said selected corrugations in the interior of said cylinder.

12. The method of making an electrical contact which comprises removinga portion of the inner edge from a selected number of inwardlyprojecting corrugations of a hollow cylinder, said removal operationbeing carried out by piercing said corrugations from the exterior ofsaid cylinder forming two parallel extending faces in planessubstantially perpendicular to the axis of said cylinder in each of saidselected corrugations, the inner edges of said selected corrugationsbeing shaped with relatively sharp apices in crosssection in theinterior of said cylinder.

ERNEST V. SORENY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 947,229 Fulton Jan. 25, 19102,358,707 Haas Sept. 19, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date248,692. Great Britain Mar. 4, 1926 429,869 Germany June 4, 1926 487,606Germany Dec. 14, 1929

